Special teams get special treatment at Glenbard West

Hilltoppers put a premium on field position battle

New Trier's Anthony Sernus (8, left) and Graham King (42, right) combine to stop Maine South quarterback Matt Alviti. Maine South hosted New Trier on Fri., Sept. 21, 2012, at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Ill. (Tracy Allen, Chicago Tribune)

It's not uncommon for special teams to be overlooked.

That's not the case at Glenbard West, where superiority in this area is ingrained into the program's culture, often resulting in a decided edge during games.

"We see it as something very significant to our team," said Jon Schweighardt, the Hilltoppers' special teams coordinator. "Winning on special teams can be critical, and I'm always looking for players who thrive on that challenge."

Schweighardt's sales pitch in recruiting prospective special teamers is to frame the unit as having 44 "starting" spots open. Most slots are occupied by reserves, but defensive back Hayden Carlson is one of the rare starters to serve as a special teams mainstay.

"Winning the field position battle is huge," Carlson said. "We've had some game-changing plays that really affected the outcome of the game."

Those plays include blocked punts in Weeks 3 and 4 and Carlson's 70-yard punt return in the season-opening win over Wheaton Warrenville South.

All three plays did wonders for Glenbard West (5-0, 3-0 West Suburban Silver) capturing momentum, something in which kicker Hayden Lekacz is a big believer.

The junior had forced touchbacks on all but three kickoffs before Saturday's 49-0 victory against Oak Park forced several called squib kicks. He is 29-for-29 on PATs in 2012.

"If our opponent has 80 yards to go against our defense, they're probably not going to score too many points," Lekacz said. "It's fun to walk out there and knock it in the end zone because it gets the crowd up. We already have the momentum after just scoring a touchdown, so it keeps it going our way."